To combat the extreme heat expected to plague the 26,000 runners this Sunday during the L.A. Marathon[1], the race will begin at 6:55 a.m., 30 minutes earlier than the planned start, race director Tracey Russell told Runner's World Newswire.

Forecasters predict a warm 65 degrees at the start, but temperatures will peak near 85 degrees at 11 a.m.—when many runners will still be traversing the largely exposed route.

To keep participants safe, the race will provide cooling buses at aid stations and the finish line, along with fans, cold sponges, ice, and a bigger supply of water and Gatorade, Russell said. “As we started to see several days ago that there was a forecast for heat, we started to put our warm weather contingency plans in place, working very closely with our city partners about what’s going to be best for our runners.”

Because of the weather, elite runner Blake Russell, who has no relation to the race director, told Newswire not to plan on many PRs. “You have to adjust your expectations a little bit,” she said. “I expect this is going to be a very tactical race.”

As of now, there are no plans to cancel the event or shorten the required finish time—as happened in 2007 at the Chicago Marathon[2] when temperatures reached 88 degrees—but Tracey Russell said runners should check social media[3] and their email for any updates. “Every day we are going to provide updates through email and our social channels. We are asking runners to stay tuned for the latest information."

Additionally, Russell said the finish line will extend it's usual 6.5-hour time limit. She couldn't confirm how long the course will remain open, but said, "we recognize our strong encouragement for people to slow it down. There is not a hard and fast closure."

Russell, the elite runner, said replenishing fluids[4] is the key to beating the heat. “Hydration starts now,” she said, advising registered runners to drink plenty starting today. “The morning of the race, I recommend runners drink at least 12 ounces of something three hours before the start,” she added. Russell also recommends continuing to drink right up until race time, then along the course, she advises drinking more Gatorade than water to replace electrolytes.

Scorching conditions are nothing new for the L.A. Marathon. Last year the 81-degree heat caused 16 hospitalizations. The hottest race on record over the event's 30 years happened in 1993 at 86 degrees, a mark that could be broken Sunday.

While the race will host the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials[5] next year, heat shouldn’t be an issue. The event date has been moved up a month to February 17, but for an entirely different reason than weather concerns: Elites want more time to recover and train for the 10,000-meter track trials held in June.

As for this year, Tracey Russell urges runners to take it easy, saying “one of the most important things this year is to not go for your best performance. Take your time and enjoy the sights and sounds along the course.”